Well, this month's offerings are a pretty eclectic mix. All metal, or metal-ish, but exploring opposing ends of the genre. I may have got over-excited and posted too much, for which I apologise. Anyway. Have at it, and I hope you find something that makes you smile. :)

"Preliator", Globus (listen here)Orchestral / symphonic rock / operaticUSAOh em to the gee. Let's just go through the list of things I like in music ... vast choirs? Check. Military drumbeat? Check. Soprano vocals? Check. EPIC BLOW YOUR MIND ORCHESTRAL SOUNDSCAPE? Check. I'm in love. Globus are ... like a super band, sort of. They feature big orchestras and choirs in their music and usually deal in symphonic rock, although there are also elements of world music and metal. I don't love all their songs - I went through their Amazon MP3 albums and only downloaded four tracks I really liked - but the stuff I love, I love. Heavy on the emphasis, there. Do yourself a favour, give this track a listen and feel like a hero for the next four minutes. ;)

"The Magic Of The Wizard's Dream", Rhapsody feat. Christopher Lee (listen here)Symphonic power metal / neo-classicalItalyOki, it's all over, let's go home ... you officially can not get more epic than this. This song is why the word epic was invented. I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT. Particularly the duet parts. Gaaaawwwwwddd. Christopher Lee, why are you so perfect? The only downside here is that, apart from the live footage parts, the video is hilariously awfu. But nobody really cares, because ... THIS SONG. THESE VOCALS. I want to go on a mighty quest RIGHT NOW. \m/

"Bulimiarexia," EthsMetalcore / nu-metal / deathcoreFranceRight. I've given you two seriously epic songs in a row so, to avoid overdose, let's get a bit dirty and gritty for a few minutes. What I love most about this song is that there's a really cool juxtaposition of the (female) lead singer's screams and her beautiful, innocent clean vocals. Weirdly, the fact she sings in French makes those parts seem even more delicate and sweet. :P Oh, and a heads up for any emetophobics out there: there is someone vomiting right at the end. Which is gross. But the rest of the song is great!

"Flowers In The Fire," Cadaveria (listen here)Gothic metal / symphonic black metalItalyI love the lazy, ominous beat that this song starts with. Another female singer with duel vocals, Cadaveria flits between snarls, clean singing and a more classic-metal vocal style. She is really quite talented.

"One Wish Away", Katra (listen here)Symphonic metalFinlandYeh, I know, the female-fronted symphonic metal thing has been overdone a bit ... I used to be massively into this genre, but it's all a bit samey these days. However, I really liked this track because she has a very sweet, clear voice and the song itself is really catchy. Also I'm a sucker for a redhead.

"The Reluctant Warrior", Immediate Music (listen here)Trailer music - symphonic, orchestralUSAOki, back to the epic stuff briefly! These guys are actually the parent company who own Globus. I just wanted to share this because I listened to (and subsequently loved) the song purely because of the title which reminded me of my character, Audax - so I dedicate this one to him. :P Poor little guy. As it turns out, he suffered from sadistic author syndrome most of all.

"Warrior's Call", Volbeat (listen here)Heavy metal / hard rockDenmarkSo rainechan posted this song to Facebook the other day and, as she said she'd sung it for karaoke, I gave it a listen so that I could try and imagine her performance for myself (Raine is awesome at many things. This is self-explanatory). At first, I was a bit meh on it ... and then he started singing and just wow. I love his voice. And, of course, the subject matter ... so alright, it's more wrestling ring rather than the historical battlefield I usually favour, but it counts!

"The Days Passed", Turisas (listen here)Battle metalFinlandAccording to their Wiki, Turisas are actually defined as folk metal ... but I'm sticking with their original self-definition of 'battle' metal, purely because one violin does not a folk band make. Even if the violinist is as talented as Olli Vänskä. <3 Anyway, this is currently my favourite song from their new album. Musically it's really grand and sweeping and just lifts me up, and the lyrics are like hugs to me, too. In another song from this album, there's a refrain that goes: 'who will be there when the skies turn grey? Turisas! You can count on us. Who's gonna push you through heavy days? Turisas!', and for me at least, that's true. I love all their songs, but there are a few where the lyrics really hit home ... in a good, warpaint-clad hug sort of way. Now, if Mathias and Jari worked together...

The sun will shine tomorrow,Better days lie ahead.The sun will shine tomorrow,Don't forget!